[WATCH] ‘Sing’ director Garth Jennings on the ‘massive gap’ between live action and animation

During our recent webcam chat (watch above), “Sing” director Garth Jennings reveals that he was attracted to this animated talking-animal musical because of “the idea that singing characters go through a life-changing experience with music.” This Universal Pictures release of an Illumination Entertainment production centers on Buster Moon (voiced by Matthew McConaughey), a koala who has one final shot at restoring his theater to its former glory by producing the world’s largest voice competition. The film was among the five nominees for Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globes on Monday, picking up an additional bid for it’s original song, “Faith,” written by Ryan Tedder, Stevie Wonder, and Francis Farewell Starlight.

This is the director’s first foray into animation, following his live-action outings “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” (2005) and “Son of Rambow” (2007). “It’s a massive gap between live action and animation,” he admits. “The whole process is totally different, but I didn’t really know that when I started, and I suppose that naivety is quite useful. It meant that I didn’t think too much about that.” He adds, “Once you work out how it works, it’s great. It’s thrilling when you see all the pieces fall into place, and then you have a perfect shot or a perfect moment or sequence.”

Jennings cut his teeth in music videos, reaping a Grammy nomination for directing Radiohead‘s “Lotus Flower” (2012). He was cited for the BAFTA’s Carl Foreman Award for Most Promising Filmmaker for “Son of Rambow.” Following “Sing’s” recent Golden Globe citations for Best Animated Feature and Best Song, are the Oscars next? Check out our full interview above for more.

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